By painting their sign fire-engine red, I assume United Cigar wanted to ensure you could see their store—from fourteen blocks away. Mission accomplished, I’d say. This store stood at 6th and Hill Streets in downtown Los Angeles—that’s Pershing Square in the background. This photo is from 1952, when the square was still filled with lush greenery and plenty of shade from the LA sun.

** UPDATE ** JenniX on Twitter says: “This was in the corner of the Metropolitan/Paramount (theater.)

This is roughly the same view in December 2021, where practically nothing is the same as it was in 1952.